No hero's welcome awaits Milutinovic

By Helen Fawkes BBC News, Belgrade

Mr Milutinovic's trial did not get much TV coverage in Serbia

But he is unlikely to get a hero's welcome.

There were no big celebrations in the Serbian capital after his acquittal by the UN tribunal in the Hague on Thursday.

Most people here believe that the ex-president was not guilty.

''Milan Milutinovic was like a puppet, a puppet of [late Yugoslav President] Slobodan Milosevic. Every decision he made, we here knew that it was the decision of Milosevic,'' says Vojislav, a Belgrade businessman.

''I went to the internet side of the Hague tribunal and I read all the material on the case and the indictments. I wasn't convinced that Milan Milutinovic had any responsibility for anything,'' says Petar, a Serbian law student.

Low interest

At the same time many Serbs have a real wish to put the conflicts that tore apart the former Yugoslavia behind them, according to Milan Nikolic, a political analyst and pollster.

The overwhelming message from the case is that the court is not a place where Serbs can find justice Milan Mikolic, Serbian political analyst

''People are less attached to the past, its fading away. The level of nationalism in Serbia is decreasing, and now people are facing bigger problems like those caused by the economic crisis," he says.

Unlike the trial of Slobodan Milosevic, the case of Mr Milutinovic was not shown live on any national television channel here except for the verdict.

After the end of the trial which lasted for two years, there were no special TV programmes dedicated to the proceedings of the former Serbian president and his co-defendants.

Anti-Hague sentiment

The five top Serbian political military and police officials who were charged alongside Mr Milutinovic for their role in the conflict in Kosovo in the late 1990s were each sentenced to between 15 and 22 years each.

This has promoted a negative reaction.

"It was expected for those indicted over Kosovo to get harsh sentences. They are the most responsible in the absence of Milosevic who died and somebody had to pay for Kosovo," says political commentator Bratislav Grubacic.

Before the conclusion of this trial, two thirds of people in this former Yugoslav republic believed that UN Tribunal in The Hague was biased against Serbs.

''There is likely to be an increase in anti-Hague sentiments in Serbia now. The overwhelming message from the case is that the court is not a place where Serbs can find justice," says political analyst Milan Nikolic.

Serbia's political leaders are also concerned about the impact on this country's battle for Kosovo which is still considered to be part of its territory.

It was a year ago this month that the Serbian province declared itself independent.

''There is a very real fear that this court ruling which said that Serb forces were responsible for ethnic cleansing could legitimise Kosovo's claim to independence. To Serbs, this issue is not settled,'' says prominent journalist and former newspaper editor Liljana Smajlovic.

Belgrade has asked the International Court of Justice to rule on the legality of Kosovo's split from Serbia.

''Politicians are worried that the ICJ will be influenced by the judgment. Serbs think that the ruling by the International War Crimes Tribunal will tilt the balance in favour of Kosovo,'' says Ms Smajlovic.

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